There is a reason why learners are encouraged to take part in sports from a young age. There is a reason why participation in sports is even taken into account when learners apply for tertiary courses, bursaries and jobs later on.

Why does participation in sports matter so much, besides the obvious reason of building a stronger and healthier body?

We know that sports offer many physical, mental and social benefits. For example, participation in sports develops teamwork, because you need to work with all sorts of people to reach a shared goal. It also teaches you resilience. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Let’s face it: Every sportsperson faces losses. Many face injuries. A true sportsperson doesn’t give up after losing a match or race. A true sportsperson goes back, practises harder and tries again and yet again.

How wonderful this is, that participation in a “game” could contribute so much to one’s growth and character.

Just as physical sports build a stronger and healthier body, Maths acts as the ultimate endurance sport for the brain. We know that the impact and benefits of sports go far beyond the “game” itself. In the same way, the impact and benefits of Maths go far beyond finding x, learning about angles, studying parabolas, etc. In fact, the subject of Maths is quite unique in its ability to make a profound impact on a person’s general and intellectual growth.

There is a reason why learners are encouraged to spend time on Maths from a young age. There is a reason why having Grade 12 Maths (pure Maths) as a qualification is a basic requirement for such a wide variety of tertiary courses – not only at universities, but also at colleges and other institutions of higher learning.  There is a reason why having Grade 12 Maths as a qualification is even taken into account when learners apply for jobs later on.

Although some courses (such as engineering) require technical mathematical knowledge, most value the unique way Maths trains your brain to think, rather than the Maths facts themselves. Rather than just teaching numerical facts, Maths acts as a structural framework for our overall cognitive and personal development. In fact, we can think of Maths as the ultimate mental gym.

Here are some ways in which Maths develops your brain:

Scientific studies show that Maths has a profound impact on your general personal growth by physically developing your brain in all sorts of ways. Because of this, Maths increases your capacity to learn new things and strengthens your long-term memory, amongst other things. This is absolutely fascinating. You can easily find more details on how Maths develops your brain on the internet.

Solving mathematical problems acts as a mental workout. This also improves your ability to switch attention between shifting tasks. In a Maths paper, you often need to switch between solving problems in algebra, geometry, number patterns, statistics, probability, etc. within minutes. Your brain works differently for all of these different sections or tasks. This teaches you to quickly and efficiently switch your attention between different tasks in real life, too.

In Maths, you are taught to analyse the information at hand quickly yet carefully and calmly, consider what you need to find or solve, and then make decisions on how to best reach a solution. This sharpens your decision-making skills in the real world as well, because it teaches your brain how to approach and manage problems.

Maths also helps you process complex information more efficiently. We all know that sometimes, it feels as if you simply don’t have enough information at hand when you first look at a complex Maths problem. But once you start analysing what little information is provided, you find yourself discovering all sorts of hidden information which will help you solve the problem. This teaches your brain to calmly analyse whatever information is provided quickly and carefully before making decisions on how to solve a problem. Because you regularly practise this in Maths, it becomes a principle you will automatically apply to real-life problems, whether in your personal or social life or your job.

Studies show that people with mathematical training take a more measured, objective approach to solving everyday, non-math problems or dilemmas. Because Maths often involves trial, error and frequent failure before reaching a solution, it trains you to stay calm and manage frustration constructively. You learn how important it is to maintain a positive mindset, and not to give up when you don’t succeed at first.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Maths fosters emotional resilience. It teaches you to accept that setbacks and stressful situations are normal parts of life. Just as a true sportsperson doesn’t give up after losing a match or race, Maths teaches you not to give up after doing badly in a test or exam. It teaches you to go back, practise more and try again and yet again.  

Maths develops your mind in so many wonderful ways that I could write a book on this, but in the end, it all comes down to the fact that Maths is the ultimate gym for your brain.

Use it.

Learners often sit for a Maths test feeling they worked extremely hard, confident that they would do well. Then a lot of them walk out in a cloud of disappointment after struggling through the paper, feeling cheated and disillusioned.

But I studied really hard for this test, such a learner would say despondently. Their parents would agree, not understanding why their child did not do better, often blaming the teacher or tutor in some or other way.

Now, here is the thing: Quite often, when I ask such learners exactly what they did to prepare for the test, and how much time they had spent on Maths in the previous weeks – excluding the time spent on their school homework, of course – it would become clear that they hadn’t done anything extra until a day or two before the test. In fact, usually they feel quite chuffed with themselves if they had started “studying” for Maths a whole two or (wow!) three days before their test.

Let’s just think about sports for a moment: rugby, tennis, soccer, athletics, dancing – any type of sports. If sports aren’t your thing, think about a musical instrument you are playing, or chess, or any other favourite pastime of yours.

Now let’s sketch a little scenario:

Sports training starts at the beginning of the term. You hide at the back and do your best to become invisible whenever the coach asks something. When you need to practise techniques during coaching sessions, you and your buddies fool around and poke fun at one another. You really could not care less about the way you should use your knees to increase power in tennis, or a specific kicking technique in rugby or soccer. Oh, that’s so easy, you might say. Anyone could do that. Our coach always spends hours and hours on such boring stuff. Throughout the term, you do the bare minimum to stay in the team.

Then, you are told that an important match is coming up. If you play a musical instrument, you might be told that you need to perform in front of a large audience.

Suddenly, you realise that you don’t actually have the necessary skills to perform well. For two or (wow!) three afternoons before the match, you and your buddies go and practise as much as you can. You come home tired at the end of each afternoon, and after the third day, you feel perfectly fine, confident that you’ve got this.

The day of the match arrives. For the first few minutes of the match, everything seems fine. You’re doing just fine. Then, your opponent does something unexpected. You fail to prevent them from scoring points. No worries, your teammates say. Better luck next time. You still feel fine.

Then the same sort of thing happens again. And again. You practised some basic shots or kicks, but you are certainly not prepared for the stuff that is now coming your way. Your teammates become frustrated with you. Oh, come on, they might say. We practised this move. Remember? Just stick to the plan. Well, they might have practised this move. You certainly didn’t. They might know what the game plan is. You don’t. You didn’t listen when the coach explained this type of play. Your confidence plummets. Your play becomes worse.

Ultimately, your team loses. If you play tennis, you lose the match. If you take part in athletics, you certainly don’t take a podium place. If you play a musical instrument in front of an audience, you blunder badly.

There is a reason why sports coaches are so strict about everybody taking part in every single coaching session. If you don’t, you lose your place in the team. There is a reason why coaching sessions take up so much of your time during the week – not only before big matches, but throughout the year.

Everyone – learners and parents alike – accepts this as perfectly reasonable if one wants to perform well. Why, then, is it so difficult to understand that the same principle applies to Maths?

Would you really do the absolute bare minimum for any type of sport in the months before a big match, then practise hard for two or three afternoons right before the match and expect to win?  Would the Springboks do this? More to the point: Would the Springboks be successful if they did this?

Why, then, would you do the absolute bare minimum for Maths in the months before the June or November exams, then practise hard for two or three afternoons right before the exam and expect to do well?

Maths is like a sport. The more you practise, the better prepared you will be to handle the stress of a test/exam. You will be able to deal with tougher questions calmly, using the knowledge and skills you developed during the previous months in an efficient and organised manner.

On the other hand, the less you practise, the less prepared you will be, and the more stressed, whether you know it or not. Even simple questions will throw you off. You won’t be able to manage questions beyond the simplest ones in an efficient manner, and you certainly won’t be able to deal with tougher questions.